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Myanmar's leader boosts image at home with ICJ defense of Rohingya campaign

Yangon, Dec 9 (EFE/EPA).- While many international observers have condemned the decision by Aung San Suu Kyi to defend her government against charges of genocide relating to the military campaign against the Rohingya ethnic minority, a majority of Myanmar's citizens have applauded their de facto leader.Aung San Suu Kyi will head a delegation traveling to The Hague to deny charges of genocide against the Burmese army over its brutal offensive against the Rohingya in a case brought by The Gambia before the International Court of Justice. Over 740,000 members of the mostly-Muslim minority fled to Bangladesh after the last large-scale military campaign launched in August 2017."There was all kinds of international pressure over the Rohingya crisis, and we couldn't do anything to help her. This time, I think she will do everything she can to resolve the issue at The Hague, and what we can do is show that we are fully behind her," Mi Min Zaw, who manages a microlending business in Yangon – the country's largest city – told EFE.FOOTAGE SHOT ON DEC 5 SHOWING B-ROLL OF YANGON AND BILLBOARD WITH THE PORTRAIT OF MYANMAR STATE COUNSELLOR AUNG SAN SUU KYI, IN YANGON, MYANMAR.